In less than two months, Apple's iPhone has been successfully
unlocked via software courtesy of iPhoneSimfree.com. The iPhone is currently
tied exclusively to AT&T for the foreseeable future, but the new software hack
allows users to hop to competing GSM networks such as T-Mobile.

According to Engadget,
the unlock process took no longer than a few minutes and caused no harm to the
iPhone used. Once unlocked, the iPhone was able to successfully make and receive calls using
the T-Mobile network. For the most part, all other iPhone features are also intact
including EDGE support and SMS send/receive. Visual voicemail isn't in the
cards as it is an AT&T network-specific feature; however, normal voicemail
is accessible using the software hack.

Engadget also
notes that the software hack is completely upgrade and restore resistant. They
verified this by performing a full system restore using the v1.0.2 update.

"Again: we can confirm with 100% certainty that
iPhoneSIMfree.com's software solution completely SIM unlocks the iPhone, is
restore-resistant, and should make the iPhone fully functional for users
outside of the US," said Engadget's
Ryan Block.

Google, the nearly $13.5 billion search engine major, is believed to be a fortnight away from the worldwide launch of its much-awaited Google Phone (Gphone) and has started talks with service providers in India for an exclusive launch on one of their networks.

Talks are believed to be taking place with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, respectively India's first and third largest mobile telephony operators, and state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam.

And that's not all. According to the report, Google is also preparing for a simultaneous launch in the U.S. and Europe:

Sources close to the development said a simultaneous launch across the US and Europe is expected, and announcements would be sent to media firms in India and other parts of the world. US regulatory approval, which is expected soon, is the only hurdle that Google is waiting to cross, they added. Google plans to invest $7-8 billion for its global telephony foray.